“How to Organize a Room Around a Striking Piece of Art”? A valid question many of us may think to ourselves, but don’t really say to anyone else. It’s also the name of Mickalene Thomas’ two-gallery exhibit at Lehmann Maupin’s Chelsea and Lower East Side galleries, seen late last year.
The comprehensive exhibit is coated in the artist’s trademark touches—acrylic, enamel, and rhinestones—but a rich, emotional-filled center.
In something of a memorial to her mother, Sandra Bush, who passed away this year, we see new color photographs Sandra, as well as a 23-minute biographical, chronologically-organized video.
These relevant themes (other favorites are “Put a Little Sugar in My Bowl” and “Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Woman”), coupled with Mickalene’s daring to dabble in all mediums, is probably what keeps the New York-based artist, who’s been exhibiting since 2005, still at the top of her game.